2. Contact Info

3. Dealer Selection

Tobias Moers is no Zora Arkus-Duntov. The godfather of the Corvette would never allow his baby to wear the moniker SS because, he explained, “All Corvettes are Super Sports.” But AMG’s head honcho senses no such redundancy in hanging the analogous “Black Series” badge on Mercedes-Benz’s highest performing sports car, the SLS, to create the 2014 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series. This gull-winged Goliath has struck us as one of the very few cars on planet earth that does not need any more power, as evidenced by identical wheel-spin-limited acceleration results from both the 563-hp base and 583-hp GT versions. Each is a power-oversteering monster if you deign to disable ESP — so much so that our favorite racecar driver Randy Pobst described it as “a great car for scaring your high-dollar girlfriend with.” So what possible good can another 39 black horses do?

None, if offered alone, but that’s not how Moers’ team rolls. AMG’s blackening process develops the car holistically, tweaking the chassis, aerodynamics, and vehicle mass. Perhaps the most crucial upgrade is widening the track (by 0.8 and 0.9 inch front and rear), and fitting ultra-grippy Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. If this car proves faster in a straight line, the tires will share most of the credit with the claimed 150-pound diet plan (carbon-fiber hood, diagonal underbody braces, and torque tube; lithium-ion starter battery and a glorious sounding titanium exhaust system). The resultant weight-to-power ratio is a Mercedes-record-setting 5.5 lb/hp (same as a McLaren 12C).

The seemingly superfluous power comes courtesy of revised breathing and engine mapping, plus a lightened and slicker valvetrain that lets the 6.2-liter V-8 spin to 8000 rpm. Peak output is 622 hp at 7400 rpm and 468 lb-ft at 5500 rpm. Torque is reduced slightly, which might actually be good news on the girlfriend-scaring front. An electronic differential lock replaces the standard car’s mechanical one and the axle ratio is shorter. Other chassis tweaks include stiffening the adaptive suspension further, and making carbon-ceramic brakes standard (addressing another Pobst complaint with the original SLS).

Aero tweaks include a new front splitter, hood and fender vents, side sills, rear skirt and wing — all designed to balance front and rear down-force at the crazy speeds this car will achieve on track days at racing clubs like VIR and Monticello (196 mph is the claimed V-max). Enlarged air intakes in the fascia even get racy carbon fiber flics to optimize airflow into the cooling modules at the front. The hood vent and other Black Series enhancements are inspired by the SLS AMG GT3 race car, which managed to rack up 43 victories and nine championships in 2012.

I’ve come to the south of France to sample this extreme machine, and Mercedes has wisely selected perhaps the only safe place to explore its insanely high limits: Circuit Paul Ricard, near Le Castellet. This high-tech test and development track features few guard rails near the racing line and no sand traps. Just red and blue bands of super-grippy material designed to stop a sliding or spinning car with no damage.

Our drive consists of short lead/follow caravans that provide the confidence to charge harder into high-speed corners than a few solo laps might. After a few short laps experiencing the newfound cornering grip and immense braking power I’m almost tempted to switch ESP completely off. Almost. The exhaust note ricocheting through the featherweight exhaust system sounds as illegal and intoxicating as crack. With the stability control set to its most permissive “Sport Handling” mode, the rear end steps out several degrees before being reigned in — far enough to indicate that this rear-weight-biased front/mid-engined monster will still oblige injudicious throttleplay with a spin into the weeds. But these next-gen Cup tires hang on far better than any previous SLS meats we’ve experienced, and they telegraph their limits better.

A few hot laps with DTM and FIA GT champion Bernd Schneider (who recently won both the Bathurst 12-hour and Dubai 24 hour races in an SLS AMG), demonstrate remarkable chassis compliance (he uses all the FIA curbing and then some), unimaginable peak braking gs, and virtually no power oversteer, thanks to his astonishing right-ankle calibration. He reckons these DOT-legal Cup tires can withstand about an hour of this abuse at factory street alignment.

So okay, this tiger hasn’t changed its stripes. In less capable hands than Schneider’s, the SLS Black will wag its tail quite happily — but not without ample warning, and only at noticeably higher limits. So forget about high-dollar girlfriends — this SLS is a great car to scare your rival club racers with.

We’ve Temporarily Removed Comments

As part of our ongoing efforts to make MotorTrend.com better, faster, and easier for you to use, we’ve temporarily removed comments as well as the ability to comment. We’re testing and reviewing options to possibly bring comments back. As always, thanks for reading MotorTrend.com.

There's probably nothing wrong with an SLS Black Series that an additional 118 hp, 270 lb-ft, and all-wheel-drive couldn't cure. Such are the delusional musings that drift into one's head after a giddy hot-lapping session in Mercedes' hottest performing sports car while shuttling to another section of the track to sample... an even more powerful SLS.Meet the SLS AMG Electric…